Return Of A Hero
by Marzipan007
Summary: It is the 250th anniversary of Eragon's improvements on the dragon/rider bond. But something or someone is threatening to bring chaos Alagaesia once more. Eragon is needed but will he return home as the same man? ExA *SPOILERS*
1. Sorrow  Prologue part 1

**A/N: Okay guys, this my version of what happens after Eragon leaves. The first chapter is a little short but I hope you enjoy it. :)**

Chapter 1 - Sorrow (Prologue Part 1)

As dawn arrived, a soft glow infiltrated the hold of the _Talita. _The gentle, warm rays of the sun slowly crept across the face of Alagaesia's hero. The man who had given up everything to rebuild the Order of the Dragon Riders...

Eragon opened his eyes and memories of her rushed to the forefront his mind. His heart ached, every beat sent a spasm of inexplicable pain through his chest. It hurt just to breathe. And every time he thought about it, his eyes overflowed with tears, like a dam that held too much water. He lay in his bed, his emotions washing over him like a river.

_Breathe, Eragon,_ _breathe. _He tried to empty his mind and focus on his breathing techniques. He inhaled deeply and held his breath, counting to 5, before slowly releasing it. Just as she had taught him... his heart clenched painfully at the memory.

He could still see her deep, beautiful green eyes, full of wisdom and knowledge, reflecting the dancing flames of the camp fire that night; they bore into his soul as she saw him for who he really was.

The thought was too much for Eragon. A fresh wave of grief and pain washed over him and he turned over to sob uncontrollably into his pillow.

**A/N: So...what did you think? I hope it wasn't too OOC. I focused more on his loss of Arya than anything else here because I want this story to be more about them. Please read & review! I will love you for it :D**


	2. Last Look Prologue part 2

**A/N: chapter 2 is up! I've tried to capture Roran and Arya as best as I could. I hope it's okay. Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 2 – Last Look (Prologue Part 2)

(2 nights ago)

Arya's hands shook as she tried to maintain her composure. She grasped Firnen's saddle as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her and tears pricked at her eyes. She could not bring herself to look back at the man who had captured her heart; at the man who was leaving. She loved him. And he loved her. Fate had weaved an entangled web of love around the both of them and a melancholy web of duty between them. They were bound together by the strongest of bonds but were destined to be apart.

She felt Firnen's muscles under her strain and flex as he changed direction and angled himself slightly to the left before beginning to slope down towards the shore where Roran knelt. His wings caused a gust of air to buffet the ground, unsettling the dust on it and, for a brief moment, shrouding Roran in a cloud of smoky brown. Firnen landed with a thud on the shore, a little carelessly, and lowered his head until Roran could feel the warmth of his breath tickling the back of his neck.

_Come, Roran-brother-of-Eragon's-heart, Arya must return to her people and you to your family._

Roran turned his head upwards and looked into one of Firnen's large, emerald eyes. He sighed heavily before standing and facing the dragon, his eyes brimming with tears. He nodded slowly and turned around to take one last look across the dark water upon the moon reflected brightly and upon which Eragon had sailed away.

He felt and hand on his shoulder and turned his head to the left to see Arya by his side. A look of longing and despair on her face momentarily flashed across her features before she composed herself. She looked at Roran, as if examining him, before speaking.

"All is not lost Roran. Yes, without Eragon our world will not be the same but we still have each other. And who knows, maybe he will return one day. Come, now. Let us return to Ellesmera."

As she turned to leave, a realisation dawned upon Roran. And he smiled sadly at the thought.

"You love him don't you?"

Arya froze. She looked back at him and saw no reason to deny the truth.

"Yes," she whispered, "I do."

Roran stepped towards her and clasped her shoulder.

"You know, people marvel at what I did for Katrina. I would do anything for her. But they don't know how much Eragon loves you. What he would do for you makes my actions for Katrina seem like nothing. For you, Arya, he would move mountains with his bare hands. An impossible task but somehow, he would make it possible. All for you."

Arya's composure began to slip as she found tears threatening to spill over the waterline of her eyes.

"He loves you more than anything. You should know that." Roran squeezed her shoulder slightly. The action was enough to break Arya out of her thoughts. She straightened her back and Roran let go of her shoulder. She smiled dolefully before indicating towards Firnen with a slight movement of her head.

"Let's go."

She climbed up Firnen's leg effortlessly before turning to help Roran up. As she strapped her legs in, Roran settled himself behind and put one arm around her waist, securing himself as Firnen stretched out his wings and leaped into the air. Roran was still unused to riding a dragon and was cautious about falling. He shifted in his seat and turned to look back once more at the path that lead to his brother. One that he would never travel upon.

**A/N: ...was it okay? I hope so. And for anyone wondering, Roran said those things about Eragon's actions being 'more' than his because he's trying to comfort Arya in some way. He can't give her a hug coz he doesn't really know her. Please read & review to tell me what you think :D**


	3. A New Day

**A/N: Hi guys! Chapter three is here! Btw, I made a mistake in the summary of the story. It says 50th anniversary when it is meant to be 250th anniversary. My fault! Sorry! I have now corrected it. Also, it has been brought to my attention that I forgot to explain that the last two chapters were meant to be part of one big prologue. For some reason, the original document that I had them on wouldn't upload so I had to separate them. Thank you to IntolerableFish for reminding me :D**

**Also thank you to:**

**Hamzah114**

**oneswordsworn**

**Rayman Son of Izingard**

**IntolerableFish**

**IronMikeTyson**

**Thanks for your reviews guys. I hope everybody likes this next chapter and continues to R&R! Enjoy :)**

Chapter 3

In the dark of the early morning sky, a tall figure stood upon a cliff top. The man was of an athletic build. He had broad, muscular shoulders and a long, slender neck. His legs, too, were long; longer than any normal humans. He wore onyx-coloured riding boots over his black riding breeches, which outlined his powerful legs and a dark blue tunic, fitted to his body, cinched at the waist by a black leather belt with a silver buckle. The buckle was square, with a small dragon head in the middle. Around the dragon head, runes were engraved. The runes resembled an exquisite pattern; they seemed to meld together as one. His left hand rested on the pommel of an elegant blue sword, strapped to his belt. _**Covering the blade was a glossy scabbard of dark blue. The colour displayed a slight variegation, like the mottled blue light at the bottom of a clear forest pond. A piece of blued brightsteel carved in the shape of a leaf capped the end of the scabbard while a collar decorated with stylized vines encircled the mouth the curved crossguard was also made of blued brightsteel, as were the four ribs that held in place the large sapphire that formed the pommel. The hand-and-a-half hilt was made of hard black wood.**_

Upon his shoulders was a magnificent blue cape, clasped at his left shoulder by a glorious sapphire brooch.

A gentle breeze ruffled the mop of wavy brown hair atop his head and his cape billowed around his shoulders. He lifted his head towards the sky where the sun was beginning to rise.

The first few rays of sunlight cast a deep, orange glow upon his face, highlighting his features. His face was slightly angular, yet rugged; a strip of stubble wound its way across his chiselled jaw, amplifying his masculine look. A small strip diverted upwards from the middle of his chin,only to halt at the small dip beneath his lower lip whilst another strip deviated from the first and angled upwards, at the side of his mouth, and cut across the contours of his upper lip, before joining the strip at his jaw on the opposite side of his mouth. He had a nose that was long, angular and straight and complimented his high cheek bones. His ears were slightly pointed, indicating that he was not entirely human and yet they were not pointed enough to be entirely elf. His deep, brown eyes reflected wisdom and power within their depths and sparkled with flecks of blue, similar to that of his brooch. They spoke of times of hardship and times of love. The luscious, chocolate brown lent his eyes a warm, welcoming look whilst the brilliant blue flecks rendered them cold, hard and unforgiving. This contrast within his eyes often made him impossible to read, a feature he sometimes relished.

An elegant white stallion nickered softly and trotted up to him. He smiled as the horse nuzzled his elbow. Running his fingers through the horse's fine, silky mane, the man leant towards the horse's head and whispered softly to it.

"Folkvír..."

The man closed his eyes and a painful expression spread across his face. A small tear leaked out of the corner of his eye.

"You've come a long way from home, haven't you?...Do you miss it as much as I do?..." His voice broke as more tears ran down his face.

The horse whinnied and turned it's head towards him. The man straightened and wiped the tears from his face. He looked back at the horse, seeing a sad expression within the depths of it's light, brown eyes. Folkvír nuzzled his hand and the man stroked the side of the horse's face. He sighed and turned his head towards the sky. The gentle breeze picked up, sending rippling waves through the grass on the cliff top and the man felt something stir within his heart. A rush of emotions flooded him and he felt a sudden urge to sing, to release his pain.

_Far far above the clouds, soaring with the wind,_

_A falcon flies alone, silent as the sky,_

_I hear his lonely cry, never can he rest._

_I walk with you along an empty winding road,_

_We're far from the ones we love and never can return._

_Never can we see again, the countries of our birth._

_When will I ever find a place to call my home?_

_Sadness circling like a falcon in the sky._

_When will I ever find a way to speak my heart?_

_To someone who knows what it is to be alone._

_Far far above the clouds, against the setting sun,_

_A falcon flies alone, silent as the sky,_

_I hear his lonely cry, never can he rest._

_I long to spread my wings and fly into the light,_

_Open this lonely heart to one who understands,_

_When will I ever find a way to speak my heart?_

_When will I ever find a place to call my home?_

_Sadness and loneliness,a falcon in the sky,_

_When will I ever find a way to speak my heart?_

_To someone who knows what it is to be alone..._

* * *

><p>Over the rocky, snow-topped mountains and across the grassy hills and pastures of Dras Evarínya, a deep, mellifluous voice echoed across the valley. A haunting song of loneliness and grief was carried by the wind in a melodious tone, reminiscent of a broad river chuckling over boulders shadowed by a rich, husky sound.<p>

A beautiful woman took a deep breath as she stepped into the courtyard of a huge, slate castle. She had often heard this voice and she knew exactly to whom it belonged but so did everybody in the valley. It was common knowledge that her uncle was conflicted with emotional pain, that he sacrificed everything to carry out his duty and that which he had sacrificed, he so fervently missed. The song ceased and she smiled grimly. A new day had begun. A new day of hurt and grief. A new day of anguish...for him.

**A/N: Okay! Next chapter is finally up! Sorry about the long wait. I have year 11 mocks which started last week and they finish at the end of this week. Then I have the holidays! Yay! So hopefully, I can write more chapter for you to enjoy! Also in reference to the song, it is not my song and I DO NOT OWN IT. It's from an animated film called Tales From Earthsea. And in case anybody didn't know (which I highly doubt) yes the man is Eragon. The way I imagine him singing is like this but in a sexy male voice ;) **

**.com/watch?v=QjhQNmTOuGk&feature=related (add on youtube at the beginning, for some reason it keeps missing it out when I upload the chapter)**

**Anyway, I hope enjoyed this chapter. Please review! I love reviews and they make me want to write more chapters. So please review. :D**


	4. Soul Mates

Chapter 4 – Soul Mates 

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys, I've been REALLY busy! Chapter 4 is finally here. Hope you enjoy it :D**

_Thud._

The air compressed, sending painful spikes of pressure through his eardrums.

_Thud._

Plugging his fingers into his ears, he ran through his memory of the Ancient Language, selecting those that he needed to form his spell. As soon as the string of words had left his lips, a blissful sense of relief washed away the pain and he was thankful, once again, for magic.

_Thud._

He smiled as a colossal blue-scaled dragon rose above the cliff, hanging momentarily in the air before straightening it's leathery wings and gliding gracefully on to the cliff. The dragon arched it's neck and let loose a jet of blue-tinged flames into the morning sky.

_Good morning Saphira. _Eragon chuckled.

Saphira swivelled her head and bent down touching his head gently with her snout. _Good morning Little One. _

A puff of warm smoke enveloped Eragon, causing him to cough, as Saphira snorted in contempt at the white stallion beside him. She sighed and looked at Eragon.

_Why must you always spend time with the four-legged creature Eragon? _

Eragon laughed.

_Why? Are you jealous Saphira? _He teased.

_No...I just don't like it. _

She turned to look at Folkvír and growled softly at him. Folkvír neighed indignantly and tossed his head.

_Saphira, _Eragon chuckled, _don't tease him. I spend a fair amount of time flying with you too._

_Yes, but why ride him when you can travel much faster with me?_

Eragon playfully pushed her snout.

_Because you're still fast asleep when I wake up. Plus, you take an awfully long time to hunt so this way I can let you eat at your own pace. I don't want you feel like you** have** to rush simply for me._

Saphira hummed in amusement and adopted a slightly mocking tone.

_Well, aren't you ever the considerate being? _Eragon heard her deep, rumbling chuckle as it passed through their mental link._ You haven't changed one bit Eragon. _

Eragon raised one eyebrow. _ Would you like me to change?_

Saphira nudged his arm. _Of course not Little One. You're perfect the way you are._

_Thank you. _

_Well...maybe not **perfect **but good enough. _She chuckled.

_Gee, thanks. _Eragon replied sarcastically.

Saphira pushed him forwards playfully. _Come on. You have hatchlings to teach. _

Eragon laughed, his deep voice rumbling across the valley. Saphira cocked her head and looked at him curiously.

_What's so amusing?_

_It feels so weird. It seems as if it were only yesterday that we were the ones being taught. _He smiled sadly at the thought.

_We learnt all that we could and now the time has come for us to pass on that knowledge. _She snorted gently, letting a waft of warm air envelop him. _You make a good teacher Little One. They look up to you. You have a generous heart...that's what makes you such a good teacher._

Eragon looked out across the sea and sighed heavily. After a few moments, he turned his back on the seemingly infinite, expanse of water and grabbing Folkvír reins, said playfully to Saphira, _Come on, let's go...you over-grown lizard._

Saphira huffed and in a single motion, swept his legs from underneath him with her tail. She lowered her head and looked at him with one eye. The bones of her eyelids clicked as she winked at him

_Serves you right for insulting a dragon, _she said and took to the sky.

**A/N: Okay guys, what did you think? I hope it's not to OOC, I was trying to show how Eragon and Saphira's bond has deepened and changed over time. I hope you liked it and I'll try not to take too long with the next chapter :)**


	5. Riders

**A/N: Hi again! Sorry it's been so long. Things have been a bit difficult and then I kinda lost my mojo and just couldn't write the story but I digress, here is *drum roll* CHAPTER FIIIIIVEEE *fanfare***

**Enjoy **** and don't forget to review!...please? **

Chapter 5 - Riders

Laughter boomed across the grey stone hall where twelve young riders sat around a black marble table.

"Well what do you expect Lúthien, when you take mead away from a dragon?!"

Lúthien scowled. "Very funny," she said from underneath her drenched hair. Lúthien had been at the table when Kyera, her dragon, had made her way out of the kitchens with a barrel of mead. When Lúthien had confiscated the barrel, Kyera had snorted at her, accidently releasing flames upon her hair. With Lúthien in shock, Kyera wrenched the barrel top open with her claws and doused the fire on her head; a decision that was not well-met by Lúthien.

Kyera chuckled, small jets of flames flickering at the edge of her nostrils. "You should not have done that. I was rather looking forward to that barrel."

"But you should not be drinking this early in the morning Kyera…especially before training."

The 12 riders stood up as Eragon entered the hall, clad in his blue garments with Brisingr at his side.

"You may sit. We are not to start just yet," he said as he made his way towards the table. As he approached Lúthien, he chuckled softly and passing his hand above her head, selected his desired phrase from his mind and released his magic. Her hair sizzled and, for a few seconds was illuminated blue as his magic evaporated the liquid on her head. Looking up, Lúthien smiled abashedly.

"Thank you Ebrithil." Eragon returned the smile and nodded before walking over towards Kyera. Kyera bowed her head, concealing her embarrassment. Eragon waited patiently for her to look up before laughing.

"If you want to drink mead Kyera, you should take to Saphira about the after effects beforehand. They can come as quite a shock."

Kyera smirked, flashing her brilliant white teeth and blinked at him. "Yes master. I will."

"Good," Eragon turned to the others sitting at the table. "The plan for today has changed. Half of you shall practice sparring and combat with me whilst the other half will practice their linguistics and magic skills with Blödhgarm. At midday you will break for respite and may have some time to yourselves. At dusk, you will swap over and continue your studies."

The riders glanced questioningly at each other, before Nala spoke up. "If I may ask Ebrithil, why? Has something happened?"

Eragon shook his head, "There is something that requires my attention. Nothing you should be worried about. Now, finish your food and join me in the courtyard when you're ready. Don't take too long."

Murmurs of "Yes Ebrithil," rippled across the table as the riders stood and bowed to Eragon before he left. As he made his way out of the hall, he reached out his mind to four of his riders.

_Ismira, Nala, Éowyn and Lúthien, meet me by the Broken Stone at midday. Be prompt._

Ismira jumped as Eragon made contact. His presence startled.

…_Be prompt. _

Alarmed, Ismira glanced at Nala. Registering the blank expression on Nala's face, she glanced at Lúthien. Lúthien returned her gaze with a quick frown, almost impossible to notice. Realising what Lúthien was telling her, she quickly recomposed herself and replied to her uncle.

_Yes Ebrithil. We'll be there._

Ismira was the most experienced rider after Eragon, only Nala was older than her, and she knew she was his best students. He often enlisted her help and confided in her yet she couldn't help but wonder why he would want Nala and Lúthien. Feeling a slight tinge of envy, she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind and joined in the conversation around the table.

Eragon strode briskly along the black, narrow stone path. Every day he marvelled at the wonders of the island. It had been 250 years since he had first set foot on the island yet there were still hundreds of unknown secrets hidden around the island. Nearly every day he encountered something unusual or learnt something new.

When he first set foot on the island, it was virtually uninhabitable. They were met instantly by a huge, thick jungle full of various plants both useful and dangerous. The island was formed around a huge mountain situated directly in the centre of the island. The vegetation was harsh and many days were spent clearing a path towards the mountain. The landscape was dangerous, with precarious cliff edges unseen from more than a metre away and many cracks and crevasses within the earth, covered by thick layers of moss and poisonous nettles. Eragon had fallen ill soon after they had arrived. As he cleared a path, he felt a sharp scratch on the back of his hand, and within minutes he fainted and Saphira had picked him and taken him back to Blödhgarm. It had taken him two days to recover and he had been more cautious from then on. To this day, he was still not quite sure what it was.

The group weren't the only ones on the island. Often at night, the group had heard mysterious cries and spine-tingling screeches from deep within the jungle and Saphira had been attacked by a huge, leather-winged bird not dissimilar to the Lethrblaka. They had the same basic shape but were much smaller and had heads shaped differently. Naturally, Saphira's might was too great to overcome and the creature was killed. After inspecting the creature, Eragon and Blödhgarm had decided to steer clear of any new creatures, for fear of provoking something much more powerful than them. They had soon discovered that not all creatures on the island were unfriendly and some even seemed to like the new arrivals. Before long the elves had befriended many unusual birds and deer-like creatures that helped to guide them along the safest route towards the centre of the island. As they had journeyed further into the jungle, they encountered various wonders and soon discovered an unusual trait of the mountain. It seemed as if it spewed fire and it was only upon further inspection that Eragon and Saphira realised it was in fact molten rock surfacing from deep beneath the ground. They named it _**Oroduin, **_meaning "Fire Mountain" in the Ancient Language. The landscape around Oroduin was drastically different to the area around the edge of the island. The vegetation was lush and seemed to grow well nearer to the mountain and the soil was fertile and teeming with life. They even discovered friendly birds nesting close to the mountain. It was here that they decided to create their city, Dras Evarínya. The initial area was still wild and harsh compared to the beautiful serenity of Du Weldenvarden but over time, their magic influenced the island and it seemed to tame the violent nature of the island. Meadows formed and the land transformed into hill. The elves created pastures and tamed the wild horses on the island. Eragon had brought Folkvír and two other elven horses that soon bred with the wild ones and created a more powerful, majestic species with the grace and speed of the elven horse but the fiery nature and power of a wild one.

As the years passed by the city grew and more riders came to continue their training with Eragon. Every rider trained initially for three years with Arya before being sent to Eragon. After their 10 years with Eragon, they were given a choice. Return to Alagaësia or remain with Eragon and continue to explore the world of magic and discover the fundamental forces that defined the world around them. A few riders had chosen to return and now resided with Arya in the city of Ellesméra.

As his boots crunched along the path, small clouds of dark dust rose. One of the most fascinating things about Oroduin was how it affected the earth and rocks around it. Many new types of rocks were formed proving to be hard and suitable to building. One of these types of rock was Obseidr, a hard black rock that was similar in appearance to glass but was much stronger and proved to have a useful insulating property. Many of the buildings in Dras Evarínya were carved out of Obseidr, which could then be dyed with magic. Obseidr was not easily damaged or scratched and was ideal for many of the dragon holds, keeping the dragons warm and safe.

As the path winded through a dense area of bushes, Eragon's resting quarters came into view. Like many of the elves, he too had chosen to reside in the forest. The trees that grew were as big as the trees around Ellesméra and often bigger, making the ideal for shaping with magic. Eragon had chosen to mirror his abode to Vrael's quarters in Ellesméra. He had sung the tree into a similar shape and created three layers, each with stairs leading up to them. Saphira's area lay at the bottom of the three layers, whilst his bed and washing area was in the middle and his study was on the top layer. He had sung the trees around to meld with the branches on the top of his tree and create and open platform leading out from his study, enabling him to look over Dras Evarínya and gaze at the stars in the night sky. For extra measure, he created a strong membrane of cloth that could be drawn across the opening of the platform and would protect his study from times of harsh weather and vicious winds. A similar construction was set up by the opening of Saphira's area to protect her from the weather too.

As he drew nearer to his abode, Saphira glided down from the treetop to meet him.

_Are you sure you want to involve them Little One?_

Eragon sighed. _I feel I have no choice. Danger lurks and I fear that even with Blödhgarm and you, we are not entirely safe. Besides, they are of enough skill now to voyage on journeys like this with me and they must learn to use their skill wisely and safely when in danger._

Saphira let out a long breath, enveloping Eragon in warm, moist air. _I understand. __But do they know of what you have seen?_

_No. I dare not tell them yet, not until I can know for certain. Other than you, only Blödhgarm knows…I can feel it Saphira. It's out there, I know it is. Like the calm before the storm. The storm is waiting to hit…and when it does…everything will be swept away._

Saphira touched his forehead gently with her snout. _Then we can only hope that you teach them well and prepare them for times to come…have you solved that problem yet? Can you harness the fire?_

_Not yet. This island is still strange to me, it is difficult enough to control and change things on it let alone that which created it. Even with The Name, I'm still finding difficulty. It's like a fish, slipping out of my hands and evading my grasp every time I come close._

_Do not worry Little One, together we will solve it. And then…then we find the storm and extinguish it before it extinguishes us. _

Eragon smirked and raised an eyebrow. _How does one extinguish that which is fire, with fire? _

Saphira hummed. _Now you begin to realise that dragons truly are the best creatures._

Eragon placed his hand on her jaw. _You truly are Saphira…you truly are. _

**A/N: okay so what did you think? Don't forget to let me know and pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaasseeeee review **** I'll try not to be too long with the next chapter. Byeeeee****!**


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